Government
“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: If you were mayor of Richmond, what would your top priority be? “I would put more cameras around the BART station and more school signs with crosswalks. There is a lot of students walking after school. I have seen that many cars don’t even care, they don’t even want to stop, especially…
Richmond Police Chief Bisa French returned to work on Monday, nine months after being put on administrative leave because of an assault accusation, Assistant Chief Louie Tirona confirmed Wednesday. French rose through the ranks to become the city’s first female police chief in July 2020. Last October, then-City Manager Laura Snideman put her on paid leave after an 18-year-old family member requested restraining orders against French and her husband, Lee French, an Oakland police sergeant who was put on leave…
Four months after firing its city manager, Richmond City Council on Tuesday hired Shasa Curl, who has held various jobs at City Hall, to fill the position. Curl’s base salary is $295,000, $40,000 higher than what Laura Snideman was earning when the council fired her in December, two years into her three-year contract, according to the employment agreement. Curl has served as the interim city manager since Nov. 23. Since 2011, she has held various other roles in the city…
Richmond Police Chief Bisa French and her husband, Oakland police Sgt. Lee French, remain on administrative leave from their jobs a month after the Contra Costa County district attorney declined to file charges against them. The couple was accused in October of assaulting a family member and threatening that person’s boyfriend, in a case that was being investigated in Contra Costa and Solano counties. The San Jose Mercury News reported that the Solano County district attorney also will not file…
Less than two years after being named Richmond city manager, Laura Snideman will leave the position with more than $300,000 in severance and other payments, according to a separation agreement that Mayor Tom Butt shared publicly on Tuesday night. The City Council approved Snideman’s termination during a closed session earlier this month. Snideman’s last day as city manager is Dec. 1. A caveat of the agreement is that she has seven days from the time it was signed to withdraw…
In an e-forum blast Tuesday, Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said a nearly two-year investigation into allegations against him has concluded after finding no evidence of wrongdoing. “Read it and weep,” Butt said when introducing the letter, which was addressed to him and the City Council, from the city attorney. Marked “confidential,” it outlines the investigation’s origins and findings. Multiple complaints were filed by a city employee, according to the letter, accusing Butt of abuse of power and conflict of interest….
Richmond City Attorney Teresa Stricker has resigned, Mayor Tom Butt announced Thursday in his newsletter. The announcement comes after months of Butt lambasting the attorney and city manager for their purported role in investigating him over allegations that his architecture firm accepted city work, which would be a conflict of interest for the mayor. Butt has denied the accusation, which hasn’t been made publicly, and claimed that Stricker and City Manager Laura Snideman have used city money to investigate him,…
Richmond residents have until Monday to fill out the 2021 Community Survey, which gauges life, work and play in the city. The survey has been conducted every two years since 2007. It takes about 20 minutes to complete and asks residents to rate their satisfaction with education, infrastructure, safety, transportation, and the city’s overall economic health. It is offered in both English and Spanish and is available online through the city’s website. “I think it’s always important to fill out…
Richmond will be using the recently released 2020 U.S. census data to redraw the city’s political boundaries and is inviting residents to help. Three public workshops already have been held online and two more are scheduled in January and February. But anyone who wants to participate can submit maps and suggestions by email. The census triggers a redrawing of political boundaries across the country every 10 years. In Richmond, City Council representation likely will be reconfigured as a result. The…